BP Given Approval to Start Drilling for Oil in North Sea (Thursday, 25 October 2018)

BP has been granted approval to drill for oil within the North Sea in a transfer described by environmental teams as “reckless” and “absurd”.

The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) rubber-stamped improvement of the Alligin area, 87 miles west of Shetland, which is predicted to supply as much as 12,000 barrels of oil equal a day.

Last month the federal government regulator additionally authorised BP’s improvement of the Vorlich area 150 miles east of Aberdeen, which is predicted to yield as much as 20,000 barrels a day.

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The newest choice comes two weeks after the UN warned that the world confronted environmental disaster except greenhouse emissions have been minimize in half by 2030.

“It is absurd that additional fossil gas developments are being nodded by way of on the idea of out-of-date pondering from the UK authorities,” stated Dr Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK.

“Instead of continuous to offer tax breaks to the oil business to wring each final drop of oil from the North Sea, authorities needs to be re-directing that cash in direction of a transition for the various employees within the oil and gasoline sector who should not be left excessive and dry after we make a delayed and hasty exit from fossil fuels as the prices turn out to be greater and clearer.”

Friends of the Earth Scotland director Dr Richard Dixon stated the approval of the brand new North Sea oilfield was “a reckless choice that’s incompatible with efforts to sort out local weather change.”

“The world can not afford to burn even a fraction of the fossil fuels we have already got, by no means thoughts approving the extraction of one other 20 million barrels of oil,” he added.

“The technique adopted by UK and Scottish Government’s of ‘maximising financial restoration’ from the North Sea means maximising destruction of the local weather.

“The Scottish and UK Government have to work collectively to finish additional oil and gasoline exploration within the North Sea. They needs to be planning for a speedy and orderly transition away from fossil fuels in a approach that’s truthful to the employees and communities at present depending on these industries.”

“This improvement one once more punctures the persistent greenwashing of BP that they’re shifting past petroleum or are sincere actors within the struggle in opposition to local weather change.”

The Alligin and Vorlich websites, that are believed to carry a complete of 50 million barrels of oil equal, are each anticipated to turn out to be operational in 2020.

“We are modernising and reworking how we work within the North Sea to totally realise the potential of our portfolio,” stated BP North Sea regional president Ariel Flores. “Alligin is a part of our advantaged oil story, rescuing stranded reserves and tying them again into present infrastructure.

“Developments like this have shorter challenge cycles, permitting us to deliver on new manufacturing faster. These subsea tiebacks complement our main start-ups and underpin BP’s dedication to the North Sea.”

The Alligin area, at a depth of 475 metres, is operated in a 50/50 joint partnership with Shell and can be drilled by the Deepsea Aberdeen oil rig.

Vorlich is a £200m challenge that can be operated in partnership with oil and gasoline operator Ithaca.

“The Oil and Gas Authority is happy to consent to the event of the Alligin area,” stated Brenda Wyllie, West of Shetland and Northern North Sea space supervisor at OGA.

“This fast-tracked challenge will maximise financial restoration by way of utilising capability within the Glen Lyon FPSO and is an efficient instance of the aggressive benefit obtainable to operators from the in depth infrastructure put in within the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).”

Angela Womack, deputy chief of the Green social gathering of England and Wales, stated funding needs to be made in renewable alternate options.

“As Greens, we discover it troubling that BP’s focus is on ‘rescuing stranded reserves’, when the UN report this month made it clear that what wants rescuing is our planet.

“Humanity has simply 12 years to forestall the worst results of local weather change and the 1.5 diploma improve in international temperatures that might destroy life as we all know it.

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